The Traditional Television Set is Not Going Anywhere

With the proliferation of tablets and the ability to watch television on your phone, there is a fear in the television industry that the traditional television sets are going away. While it is true that Hulu, Nexflix, and Amazon Prime are giving broadcast and cable networks are run for their money, that doesn’t mean people are going to ditch the giant 50 inch television currently occupying their living room wall. People are ditching their cable companies, not their television sets.

Sure, there are going to be a few people who own tablets, computers, and smartphones that won’t replace their television when it breaks, but they are in the minority. Right now, people are opting for Roku boxes or Google Chromcast, so that they can stream television and movies on their TV set. No one really wants to sit on their couch hunched over their tablet. Because of television’s bigger screen, it is more comfortable to watch. A tablet or smartphone is useful for a long plane or bus ride, but not for those who are only watching television in their house.

Another problem with watching television on tablets and smartphones is that you can’t comfortably watch something with a group. For over 60 years, families and friends have gathered around the TV set as a way to bond. While we don’t consider shows event television anymore, every year the Super Bowl’s ratings break records. People get together and throw parties for the big game. What kind of party has everyone watching on their own private screen? Not a very good one because there will be very little social interaction.

There are two trends, technology getting smaller and smaller on one end and bigger on the other. We want to be able to watch television on any device we want. It doesn’t matter if that device is a TV, a laptop, a phone, or a tablet. All the tablets and phones in the world will only be supplements to the traditional television set because they can only get so big before they stop being portable. The traditional television set was never meant to be portable. In the end, the television set won’t go anywhere because we like options and everyone has different preferences.